Torpedo-gun.



-' 1:01- ztll whom, it may concern- Be it known that'I, EDMUND L. ZALINsKr,

l UNITED ATENT onirica.

EDMUnn L. zf-'IQINSKL' oF NEW YonK, N. Aif. l'

" ,QfgjQBPEDQ-G'im; i i

Ano. 819,834.

,i i -Specication of Letters Patent.l

' Pateltednay 8, 1906..

' Appunto); inganna 22.1905. :serai N6. 266,473.

of the United States Arm. retired', a. citizen of the United States, resi ing aty New York,

in the county of NewYork and State oflN ew l York, have invented certain new and useful lImprovements in T-o edo-Guns, of which I the following is a s peci cation.

' This invention relates to guns fo'1.propelling torpedoes.

1 The 'object of the invention is to produce a gu'n from which torpedoes or similarl projectiles for submarine action maybe thrownwith different' velocities, obtaining dierent ranges the combustion 'of similar powder vcharges without-changing the elevationof the gun. 1 f To this end the invention 'consists in a' gunv having a large combustion-chamberV and I neans; to regulatethe amount of 'ourdeligas,v which'may pass from this chan1 e rto the barrel in wlnch vthe projectile is seated, .thus acting thereon'an'd at the same. time permit. theescape of surplus gases. '-.Thu's fa' maxii'num charge may. alwaysbe used; but thefef-` 2 5 V' .beregu ated accordin'gto"\circ'iimstances.s4I

EA projectile is likely lto ricochet from'the surface of the waterir thrownfatalesser angler.: .than about :fifteen degrees-Withrlatinf'tel theisurface. -It becomesldesirabletoproject tor edoes orl shells expected 15o-destroy tor-1-`- pe oes ory submarine boatsv at .such-angles that saidy Yp'ifoj ectiles Vshall enter --`tl 1'e"f water directly'. "-`Tmake. sureof this,' at= short' :ranges -it 'ordinarily isnecessaryto` use less yp'owder.charges than 'at longer ranges or tol chanlgle the elevation of the gun, either of 'fective owder-pressureon the projectil'ec whic changesinvolves. a loss of time which may be' fatal' to .successful action. There-A forer a means-'which can b e instantaneously' available to-change theefective range'of a `1da`ded gun is verydesirable under'some-cir-f s Ivllustrate simple forins In `"the" drawing of guns to show t e principles involved. The

. same principlesare applicable to very man Viiire s'ystelns of ordnance alread well known :cani be`modified lto embody t e rinciples Solerein set forth,'so-'that veat'rapi ty of 'retqpal rapidity withouthangingttgun @16...

vva'tion. j

be maintailidfa'nfd t e range varied with 41,'-such being the illustrate` merel theuprinciplesiinvolved in simple form. close joints, buffers. to preventderangement, and other-,devices known in the art o f gunvnery ina'ybeemployedf Figure 1 is alongitudinal section of the 4rear portion of-a gun, ill u`strating the principles of my invention in one form. Fig. 2 is a section on line 2'2." Fi 3 is a section on line :3' l3,v and Fig. Sis-,q fir-,Section with sleeve .turned to partlyallowgas escape. Fig. 4 is a'longitudmal section ofa modification.` -Fig rearend view of gun, Fig. 1

Let the numeral lillustrate the barrel of a .1. round by as ong'casing vor outside barrel.

,rwhllyblosallfit je Passages presu'refon the projectile.

.frernova'blef breech or cartri geholder 1 1 may be. opened to'. insert the projectile 2; and ythis manner common, totlns art;v

close all' the openings 5 thev iringof charge 1 3 -sleeve be turned so that. all passages 5 and 7 are'- inl communication a largep'roportion of the s developed by the. comb'utim` 'n pass `y the passa es5 5 to the byfp'ass' banal'.

in f least vresistence;'and4 i n practice packing to vinsure l 51sa rear view ofthegun.; 4. Fig. .6 isja Taglia-bam 11's f A.[perlnanent breech piece 212 servesl to '.closetherear'end offpasa e4.' lA'quicklybreech may also contain the powder charge 13, which charge isignitedfinany suitable 3.,:.gafa'ssagf4abta aus iprovidedbaween. f terfand'finnerbarrel. the barrel 1- 8oV i I Sleeve 6 "nia be turnedl "'vhasteeththereonwith-which l Qengagesfwj A-handle'lloutside the he." DQLQSII s166370 ffCaI1--y ...k xt is'arrangdinsltablerelation 0. handle 10, so las todenote the po-v sitipnbf .sleeve 46. with relation to thel barrel l; and. position determines the eective go Now ifsleeve cris-turned sc as te effectively 109:` cause the full powderfpressure tobea plied -to` the' projectile in barrel v'1;but if t e jectile, and' thesleefve 6 canbe turned to adjust this pressure to a nicety7 as demanded for the ranges required..

In Fig. 4 the numeral 21 denotes the gunbarrel proper, which-barrel is closed behind a projectile by the slidingtrap 22, which has a i passage 23 'large enough for the projectile to enter. Chamber 24 in rear of the barrel proper is closed by any. suitable fermature,

as 25. A chamber "26 at the side of the chamber v opens'. into the same and is closed at therear by a'breech-plug'27'.' v.Chamber 26 I receives theiringcharge,'which is ignited in "fate position,

2 5' ile"or"to the bypassage or" may escape- Wi'thut acting on 7 anv"desired-'proportion -thei'eor1 may be permittedto escape;

convenient manner. When trap 22 is; moved so as to close tlieby-passage or'VV gasescape barrel'l 29,-it opens thevbarrel'Ql, and thet'rap 22-'canbeishifted so4 as to place the opening 23 in line'with barrel-29, atnvthe same timeclosing thevrear opening into barrel 21, or the` trap;22'

or theA gas-pressure-may be' d 'by pinion'BOfeIigaging' rack 31 thereonyor by any. other suitable means. f An index 32 on the trap willservfe todirect'the gunner as .to the'iposi'tion desirable for any speci-lied range. By .suitablernechani'sm 'this indeggI may be Inade'to in'dica'tepenrange-dials. Y housing .33 iIicloseslthe upper part'of the charge-dii recting trap 22 ,1' as'shown in the illustrations. 4o

` 0f course thejgunfcan be changed as to its range'byfcliangrngits elevation7 and it isdearable-thatuit iin-dexV 321 be made to show 'ranges fiiiidieidiiiiferentconditions likely to arise. The 'elevations had bestbe limited to,

lsay, =fif1;e'en degrees, thirty-degrees',`and fortyfive degrees7 'thrange-dial 'graduations either being 1made to` correspond or else have separate l1"terchangeable Ldials to correspond 'to `lthe Ystaiidard elevation in use. 5 O i n l These should bearranged sof asto' be readily changed. Ihavea'tt'empted to show'only a few of the wmany niodiications-to 'which invention is adapted Thev important 'point'y is that any pro ortion of ther maximium pressure' ofthe 'order-gas can bei directedto effective work arge its veffective force 'canbeplaced in an intermedie" where opemng 23 communicates inpresence of two witnesses.'

may be instantly changed by manipulation of the gun without changinglthe elevation of the un.

Or course the elevation of the gun may be changed in any us ual manner; but the change waste gases, and means Jfor directing'gas from the powder-'chamber to the gun-barrel or to the escape-passage in definite quantities.

- 2. A gun having a powder-chamber, a barrel for projectiles anda b assao'e, and adj y P t:

justable means for directing gas Jfrom the v`powder-Chamber to the barrel or to the-bypassage in regula-ted'proportions.` 'I 3. The combinationwith the powder-chainber and proj ectile-barrel of a gun, of intermediate mechanism whereby a regulated part oi the gas-pressure in the Apowder-chamber may /be-admitted toI thesaid barrel, and the remaining powder-pressure diverted. I

4. The combination with the projectilebarrel of a gun, and a powder-chamber pro- I vide lwith meansAfor exploding 'a powder charge therein, of vadjustable means for regulating the pressure which may pass from the powder-chamber to the projectile-barrel.

V5. In a gun, aprojectile, barrel, apowderchamber, and means .for iring powder inthe chamber and for admitting only a determinedportion of the powder-gases to the bar- -rel to develop a predetermined pressure therein; I y

6. In a gun, a projectile-barrel, a powderchamber, interposed means'for excluding a part of the powder-gases while permitting the remainder to passt-o the barrel, and an index Vby which the effective amount of gas admitted tothe barrel may be observed.

ile-barrel and, a .by-passage,l each VcOmI'nunI- eating with said `,chamber-,-pand a movable part having controllingmeans outside the gun 'by' which a ,portion of the pressure in` the powder-chamber can the by-passage or the barrel.

8. In a' gun, aoWder-chambe r a projec- -tile-barrehand a y-passage, each communi.- eatingv with saidchamberi,.means for controlindex operatively4 con- 'In testimohywhereofI signature j EDMUND n. ZALINSK'I. A {Witnesses 1 Y f DAISY L. ROBINSON, SIMON L. ADLER.

7 In a gun7 a powder-chamber, aprojectbe directed to either.

ling ,the communicationsbetween said 'pai-ts, anda range-dial and nect'ed to. saidA controllingmeans, all` combined'.v

lOl 

